This invention relates to an improved articulated figure of the type suitable for use as an instructional aid, toy or display device.
In the prior art, various types of articulated figures having jointed limbs are known, for example see U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,677,652 Peck, 3,090,157 Lohr and 3,727,343 Chiari and Australian Specification No. 56076/65. Similarly, it is known to use magnetic means to support a rigid display articles on metallic boards or panels, see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,654,711 Taylor, 3,769,720 Terrones and 3,883,984 Champeaux.
In each of the first mentioned U.S. Patents referred to above, the figure is either adapted to stand upright on supporting feet or is supported by a suspension string. For this reason, the limbs are rigid and the joints tight (thereby requiring fairly close manufacturing tolerances) to enable the limbs to be articulated to and remain in different display positions. In Australian Specification 56076/65, an articulated figure is used in conjunction with a complex electronically operated electromagnetic board whereby animated cartoon movements are reproduced in the figure.
In each of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,654,711 and 3,769,720, the display figures are not articulated in any way so that the interest created by the figures is not particularly great. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,984, the various components of the dummy are held to each other by magnetic attraction between the various parts so that the limbs of the dummy are movable relative to each other only within close limits dictated by the magnetic attraction between the various parts. The limbs are however not articulated and only a limited number of limb positions are possible.
It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved articulated figure which enables the figure to be held in any one of a wide variety of desired positions in a particularly convenient, inexpensive and appealing manner.